ANT 374!!Early Childhood: Sex Differentials Female malnutrition often higher than male!" -Bangladesh: young boys get 16% more calories !" -Ecuador highlands: girls weaned at 11 months, boys at 20 months!" " -cultural thought: mothers transmit aggression and sexuality tendencies through breastfeeding!" " therefore, because sexuality was not see in a positive light for girls, they would breastfeed them less!!Life Cycle & Nutrition: Late Childhood!Disease and death from malnutrition declines in most societies after age 5!" -growth rates slow down!" -can chew and digest most adult foods !Effect of malnutrition in late childhood:!" -slower growth rates = reduced stature!" -less severe illness!!" -female age at menarche (first menstruation) affected by nutrition!" " -US 100 years ago: avg. age was 16!" " -US today: avg. age is 13!" -body fat percentage greatly affects menarche; the weight at which women need to have in order to have "" " menarche has dropped!!!!!!Vitamins & Minerals!Infancy/Early Childhood: Iron Deficiency !Iron needed to create red blood cells!" -RBCs transport oxygen!Iron Deficiency can result in anemia: (Iron deficiency Anemia)!" -poor oxygen transport!" -weak immune system!" -can affect improper nerve impulses!Iron is well conserved in the body!" -it is recycled!" -iron deficiency usually comes from blood loss (can be caused by intestinal parasites, wounds, menstruation)!" -is exacerbated by an iron-poor diet!Dietary Iron Hard to Acquire!-iron in vegetables - hard to absorb!-cereal crops inhibit absorption!" -phytates inhibit iron absorption (found in grains)!-best sources of absorbable iron- red meat, legumes, shellfish!!Early Agriculturalists: limited number of crop types, meat sources as well!" -iron poor diet!Settled Lifestyle --> increase parasites, diarrhea!" -children suffer most from anemia in these societies!" " -poor growth!" " -weaning foods are often grain based in these societies which can inhibit the the iron absorption!!Megaloblastic Anemia (Nutritional Anemia)!-inadequate B12 and or Folic Acid!-underdeveloped RBCs in this kind of anemia!-Body's response: makes more RBCs even though the RBCs have a very low probably of fully maturing and becoming fully functional RBCs!!!!Dietary Sources!-B12: animal products: Found in Liver, meat , fish, milk, eggs, aged cheeses!-Folic Acid: found in Leafy green vegetables, also some fruits and liver!!Iron Deficiency Anemia: Cribra Orbitalia!pitting in the eye orbits because of body trying to use those spaces to create RBCs in children!!Iron Deficiency: Porotic Hyperostosis!Children: Cribra & PH from anemia!RBCs produced in bone marrow!Marrow spaces in skull used as supplement!Childhood lesions often remain visible in adults!!Poundbury England: A Romano-British Site!~AD 400 English cemetery (Chiefdom, intensive agricultural period)!-752 skeletons excavated\" !" -30%+ had anemia indicators!!Reflects the number of children with serious nutritional disease at this dig site!173/230 had C.O. !7/230 had P.H. !50/230 had both!!Anemia in the US!Anemia still important today!" -20% of women!" " -iron loss through menstruation!" -50% of pregnant women!" -2% of men!!Infancy/Early Childhood: Rickets !Rickets: Bone deformity - vitamin D deficiency!" causes serious long term problems in infants and children!Symptoms:!" -"softening" of bones!" -bowed legs!" -pelvic growth deficiency!" "The Rachitic Rosary": Rib beading/beaded appearance Rickets: Vitamin D & Calcium!Vitamin D: Cannot be stored for long in the body!" -need constant production!Metabolism of calcium requires vitamin D!" -calcium!" " -bone formation!" " -blood clotting!" " -nerve function!Vitamin D rare in foods that we eat:!" -can be found in eggs, cream, butter, fish liver oil!Human body synthesized vitamin D:!" -by sunlight; activates vitamin D precursor in our skin which can convert nutrients into vitamin D!Rickets & Culture!Cultural rules contribute to risk of rickets!-Nigeria: children must be completely covered!-Religious sects: clothing that covers most of the body!-Class distinctions: light skin preferred!Industrial Revolution in Europe: Decrease in sun exposure/increase in Rickets due to:!" -child labor!" -poor wages!" -long workdays --> indoors or underground!--> many poor laborers had "deformed